Mengmei Leng always dreamed of studying in Sydney, but it was a dream that led to her death.
A tourist discovered the 25-year-old Chinese student's body, naked and with up to 30 stab wounds, in a blow hole at Snapper Point on the NSW Central Coast in April.
Her mother arrived in Sydney this week to see the place of her daughter's dreams, still unable to comprehend her death.
"The time will never turn back to when Mengmei and I were living happily with each other," she said through a translator on Thursday.
"You can never imagine how painful it is to me. The saddest thing in life is losing someone you deeply love."
Mrs Zhang's husband died in 2008, leaving just she and her daughter, also known as Michelle, to depend on each other.
Ms Leng left her home in Chengdu five years ago to study at the University of Technology Sydney.
"Mengmei had always dreamed of being here to study," her mother said, adding that her daughter was a feeling and understanding girl.
She had lived with her 48-year-old aunt and her aunt's husband, Derek Barrett, at their Campsie home since she arrived in Australia.
Barrett, 27, has been charged with her murder.
Mrs Zhang thanked the Australian and Chinese communities for their support during a time when she is suffering greatly.
She also thanked NSW Police, including homicide squad Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin, for investigating her daughter's death.
A fund has been set up to help pay for Ms Leng's funeral and support her mother when she returns to China.
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